Drive and coupling for a rotary printing press with in-line printing mechanisms



lMay 12, 1970 A. BREUNIG 3,511,179

DRIVE AND COUPLING FOR A ROTARY PRINTING PRESS WITH IN-LINE PRINTINGMECHANISMS Filed May 1s, 1968 United States Patent O 3,511,179 DRIVE ANDCOUPLING FOR A ROTARY PRINTING PRESS WITH IN-LINE PRINTING MECHANISMSAnton Breunig, Heidelberg, Germany, assignor to HeidelbergerDruckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft, Heidelberg, Germany, a corporation ofGermany Filed May 13, 1968, Ser. No. 728,734 Claims priority,application Germany, May 20, 1967, Sch 40,747 Int. Cl. B41f 7/ 06 U.S.Cl. 101-183 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Drive for a rotaryprinting press having printing presses disposed in tandem includes twomain drive shaft portions connected by a coupling having an outer partfixed to one shaft portion and an inner part to the other shaft portion.The outer part has inner teeth and the inner part is formed of a pair ofadjacent coaxial gears having outer teeth meshing with the teeth of theouter part. The gears are relatively immovable in the radial direction.One of the gears is axially displaceable relative to the other gear.

My invention relates to drive for a rotary printing press with in-lne ortandem arrangement of printing mechanisms. More particularly, myinvention relates to such a drive which includes a motor-driven maindrive shaft formed of two or more portions each carrying a worm driveoperatively connected with a respective one of the printing mechanisms,the individual portions of the main drive shaft being connected to oneanother by a forcelocked coupling located between adjacent printingmechanisms or groups of printing mechanisms.

A drive for multicolor rotary printing presses having a plurality ofprinting mechanisms arranged in a row is known wherein the motor-drivenmain drive shaft is multipartite and each printing mechanism is in turndriven by a separate rotary gear transmission as well as a worm driveoperatively connected thereto. The individual portions of the main driveshaft are firmly connected to one another by tension couplings. Thistype of coupling can be employed because the elongation or stretching ofthe main drive shaft portions produced by heating when operated for arelatively long period is absorbed by the rotary gear transmissionswithout the production of any change in the adjustment or registry ofthe printing mechanisms relative to one another.

The use of rotary gear transmissions together with the respective wormdrive of a printing mechanism requires relatively great expense. It isfurthermore disadvantageous that the rotary gear transmission must besubject to a specific play between the teeth of the meshing gears of thetransmission whereby, namely for multicolor rotary printing presses,registry or doubling difficulties may be encountered (note Germanpublished application 1,237,- 140).

Furthermore, drives for rotary printing machines are known wherein aworm drive for each printing mecha-A nism is directly mounted on themultipartite main drive shaft passing therethrough. The individualportions of the main drive shaft are force-lockingly connected to one.another by claw-type clutches located between the printing mechanisms.Such claw-type clutches are not free of any play. Consequently, whensuch claw-type clutches are used, a printing machine can barely meet thehigh standards of registration accuracy that is required (note GermanPats. Nos. 412,159 and 1,045,425).

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide drive for arotary printing press with printing mechanisms'.

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disposed in tandem having a worm drive for each printing mechanismdirectly mounted in a simple manner on an at least bipartite main driveshaft of the press, wherein the portions of the drive shaft are coupledto one another in such a manner that no adjustment or disalignment inregistry of the printing mechanisms relative to one another can occurdue to play in the coupling.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I provide in accordancewith my invention, a coupling in the form of a bevel toothed couplingcomprising an outer coupling member or part fixed to a stub of one ofthe main shaft portions and an inner coupling part fixed to a stub ofthe other of the main shaft portions, the outer coupling part beingformed with inner bevel teeth and the inner coupling part comprising apair of adjacent coaxial gears having bevel teeth intermeshing with thebevel teeth of the outer coupling part. The pair of coaxial gears arefixed against relative movement in the radial direction thereof, andadjusting means are provided for displacing at least one of the gears inthe axial direction relative to the other of the gears.

The bipartite gear construction of the inner coupling` part of thebevel-toothed coupling eliminates any play between the respective teethof the parts by an adjustment of the gears so that the teeth of the onegear of the inner coupling part lies up against one of the flanks of theteeth of the outer coupling part, and the teeth of the other gear of theinner coupling part lies up against the opposite flank of the teeth ofthe outer coupling part.

'The inclination of the bevel teeth is such as to balance or absorb aturning of the worm gear caused by elongation or stretching of therespective drive shaft portion by effecting a corresponding turning ofthe main drive shaft portion.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin drive for a rotary printing press with in-line printing mechanisms,it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown,since various modifications and structural changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scopeand range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention however,together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be bestunderstood from the following description of a specific embodiment whenread in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal view of a multicolor offset rotaryprinting press having a drive according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a much-enlarged, partly sectional View of a coupling havingbevelled teeth forming part of the drive of FIG. 1.

The multicolor offset rotary printing press of FIG. 1 is provided withfour printing mechanisms 1, 2, 3 and 4. These printing mechanisms areall driven through a common main drive shaft 5 by a non-illustrateddrive motor suitably connected by a non-illustrated drive 'belt to thepulley 6 located at an end of the shaft S. A separate worm drive 7 isassociated with each of the printing mechanisms 1, 2, 3 and 4 and isformed of a respective worm 8 mounted on the shaft 5 and a correspondingworm gear 9 mounted on the lowermost shaft of the respective printingmechanisms 1, 2, 3 and 4. The main drive shaft 5 is of bipartiteconstruction; the main shaft portion 5 which is securely connected tothe pulley 6 is supported in five radial bearings 10 and one axialbearing 11.

The toothed coupling 12 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. Thecoupling outer member 15 is fixed to a stub of the main drive shaftportion 5 by means of clamping screws 13 and slot and key 14. The teethof a pair of coaxial aligned gears 17 and 18 forming the inner part 19of the coupling 12 mesh with inner teeth 16 provided in the outercoupling member 15. Both of the coupling parts 15 and 19 have bevelledteeth.

The gear 17 of inner coupling part 19 is firmly mounted iby a slot andkey 20 on the shaft stub of a main drive shaft portion 5". The gear 17has an elongated hub 21 extending in the direction of the main driveshaft portion 5". A gear 18 is mounted by means of a slot and key 22 onthe hub 21 so that it is prevented from rotating relative to the hub 21but is however displaceable in the axial direction thereof. When the twosurfaces of the gears 17 and 18 which face one another are located sothat they lie together, against one another, their teeth are aligned. Athread or teeth 23 meshing with an outer adjusting ring 24 are providedat the end of the hub 21. The adjusting ring 24 is force-lockinglyconnected by a lock washer 25 with the gear 18 of the inner couplingpart 19. The adjusting ring 24 is iixable in a selected positionrelative to the gear 17 by suitably tightening a radially extendingthreaded pin 26.

The operation of the toothed coupling shown in FIG. 2 is as follows:After installing the main drive shaft 5', 5", and attaching the toothedcoupling 12, the gear 18 is drawn out in the axial direction from thegear 17 of the inner coupling part 19 by the adjusting ring 24 until theteeth of the gear 17 lie up against one flank and the teeth of the gear18 lie up against the other liank of the space between the teeth 16 ofthe outer coupling part 15. Thereby, any possible play in the couplingis avoided. Thereafter, the printing mechanisms 3 and 4 are suitablyadjusted.

Because the main drive shaft portion 5" stretches during relativelylong-term operation, the worm gear 9 of the printing mechanism 3 iscaused to turn slightly in contrarotating direction. This can causeinaccuracies in the lit. Such inaccuracies are avoided by providing theteeth of the toothed coupling 12 with a bevel or inclined constructionso that any elongation or stretching of the main drive shaft portion 5"effects a displacement of the inner coupling part 19 relative to theouter coupling part 15 and thereby a slight rotation of the worm 8 ofthe printing mechanism 3. This rotation can be so great that theaforementioned undesired turning of the worm gear 9 of the printingmechanism 3 is nulliiied or balanced.

The toothed coupling 12 of my invention has a dual purpose: connectionof the individual portions of the main drive shaft free of any playtherebetween, and balancing or equalization of the slight adjustment ormisalignment of the printing presses that would normally occur afterrelatively lengthy operation due to increase in length or stretching ofthe main drive shaft portions due to the heating thereof.

I claim:

1. Drive for a rotary printing press with printing mechanisms disposedin tandem, comprising a motor-driven main drive shaft formed of at leasttwo shaft portions, worm drive means on each of said shaft portionsoperatively connected to a respective printing mechanism for driving thesame, a force-locking coupling connecting said shaft portions, saidcoupling comprising an outer coupling part fixed to one of said shaftportions and an inner coupling part iixed to the other of said shaftportions, said outer coupling part being formed with inner bevel teethand said inner coupling part comprising a pair of adjacent coaxial gearshaving bevel teeth meshable with the bevel teeth of said outer couplingpart, said pair of coaxial gears being fixed against relative movementin the radial direction thereof, at least one of said gears beingdisplaceable in the axial direction relative to the other of said gears.

2. Drive according to claim 1 including adjusting means for displacingsaid one gear rectilinearly in the axial direction.

3. Drive means according to claim 1 wherein said other of said gears isfixed to the respective shaft portion and is formed with a hub extendingin the direction of the respective shaft portion away from the endthereof, said one of said gears being axially displaceably mounted onsaid hub so that the teeth of both of said gears are in alignment whenend faces of said gears facing one another substantially abut oneanother.

4. Drive means according to claim 3 including key and slot means forxing said other of said gears to Said respective shaft portion.

5. Drive means according to claim 3, wherein said hub is provided withan outer thread at an end thereof, said adjusting means comprising aninner-threaded adjusting ring meshing with said outer thread of said huband adjustable thereon for axially displacing said one of said gearsmounted on said hub.

6. Device according to claim S including a radially extending threadedpin carried by said adjusting ring and adjustably engageable with saidhub for locking said adjusting ring against movement relative to saidother of said gears.

References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,823,527 2/ 1958 [Belden 64-23 X2,863,387 12/1958 Huffman lOl-248 3,405,580 i0/ 1968 Hallden '74-44()ROBERT E. PULFR-EY, Primary Examiner I. R. FISHER, Assistant ExaminerU.S. Cl. X.R.

64-9; lOl-248', 287-108

